Two Macomb students among winners in McDonald's art Contest

When the winners were unveiled March 4 at the N’Namdi Center for Contemporary Art in Midtown Detroit, among the 12 local high school students who were honored at the inaugural “McDonald’s Celebrates Black History Moments on Canvas” were two young people from Macomb County.

Shaionna Brown, 17 and a senior at Mount Clemens High School, and Gregory Rochon, a 13-year-old home school student from Eastpointe, were among the nine finalists who stood out from the 69 entries received this year.

The first-place winner of the contest was Jermaine Tripp, 17, a student at Cass Technical High School in Detroit. Jalen Barney, 14, a student at Henry Ford Academy School For Creative Studies in Detroit, won second-place honors, and Kaylin White, 18, a student at Detroit Country Day School in Beverly Hills, won the third-place prize.

Shaionna said she was surprised to learn that her black-and-white pen and ink drawing of President Barack Obama surrounded by several lines made it into the final 12 pieces.

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“I was really surprised, but I’m really happy,” she said.

Gregory Rochon, one of the youngest artists to take part in the contest, was surprised that his colored pencil rendition of an African-American Union drummer boy is hanging on the walls of an art gallery.

“I knew that there would be high school students that submitted art work,” he said. “I was really surprised, but I’m glad people liked my drawing.”

A new competition

The “Canvas” contest was conceived by the Detroit Area MacDonald’s Restaurant Owners to help educate and encourage research and thought among southeast Michigan teens about African-American heritage in Michigan, the United States and the rest of the world.

The contest was open to students from public, private, charter and at-home schools in Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Livingston, Monroe, Washtenaw and St. Clair counties.

A panel of judges whittled the entries to 50 semifinalists, then further narrowed that number to 12. The final round of competition was judged by the N’Namdi gallery’s founder, George N’Namdi, BLAC Detroit Editor in Chief Kimberly Hayes Taylor and McDonald’s owner and operator John Potts.

Artists were judged on their artistic abilities, and how their creation captured the struggles and contributions of African-Americans.

Tripp’s pastel drawing of the late Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall won top honors for representing the landmark 1954 legal case Brown v. Board of Education, which declared state laws that required separate schools for blacks and whites unconstitutional.

The 12 finalists are part of a two-week exhibition that opened Feb. 28 at N’Namdi gallery. The first-, second- and third-place winners of the art contest won $2,000, $1,000 and $500, respectively. The nine remaining finalists each received a $125 bankcard.

Jon Campbell, a MacDonald’s restaurant owner, said the level of talent and knowledge of African-American history shown in the contest entries was impressive.

“We are so proud of these young people and their artistic expression of the history, heritage, hard work and accomplishments of black people,” he said. “We are thrilled to know that a program about black history resonated with these students and inspired them to use art as a tool for expression and learning.”

Art meets history

Gregory said he chose his subject matter — the drummer — carefully.

“I was going to draw a soldier, but I decided to draw the drummer, because I thought it really showed the contributions African-Americans made in the United States,” he said.

Shaionna said she chose to depict President Obama because of the significance his election has in American history.

“I felt that President Obama would be a good subject because he’s the first black president, but also because he was recently re-elected,” she said. “The lines that are around his face represent the chaos that is around him, and around me.”

Shenita Brown, Shaionna’s mother, said the chaos surrounding her daughter was significant during the period the contest was under way. Shaionna was a passenger in a vehicle that was involved in a traffic accident that left her hospitalized with a broken neck, arm and clavicle. But still, she worked on the drawing.

“ just propped her arm up and continued drawing,” Shenita Brown said. “I think working on this drawing while she was in the hospital gave her the confidence she needed to pursue her art.”

Shaionna said she has not yet chosen a college, but that she will attend art school or a university art program with the goal of becoming a teacher.

Marcella Rochon said she was surprised her son Gregory advanced to the final round because of his tender age.

“I knew that students from Cass Technical — which places a lot of emphasis on the arts — would be entering the competition,” she said. “But he has natural talent.”

Gallery owner N’Namdi said the competition was a chance for students to develop both knowledge and skill.

“Art is an important aspect in a student’s development,” he said. “I’m honored to be part of this wonderful program that helps support the arts in schools.”